- England have started preparations for the European Championship finals with a recovery day
- Several stars hit the pool the day after their dramatic victory over the Netherlands
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: England’s penalty was a ‘disgraceful decision’ but the Three Lions eventually showed up
The England stars took the opportunity to relax at their luxurious five-star training camp, less than 24 hours after their historic victory over the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the European Championship.
Last night the Three Lions defeated the Dutch in dramatic fashion thanks to Ollie Watkins’ winning goal in Dortmund.
That means they will face Spain at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. It will be England’s second European Championship final in a row.
But with the highlight not until Sunday, Gareth Southgate’s men have made sure they can recover optimally from an intense but special evening at Signal Iduna Park.
Players such as Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane made use of the facilities at their disposal.
English stars were given the chance to recover from the Dutch victory by relaxing in the pool
Jude Bellingham seemed to be enjoying himself in a comfortable chair as he charged up for Sunday’s final
John Stones combined swimming, cycling and singing during his recovery period
For Gareth Southgate’s men, the theme of the day seemed to be water, with the majority of the squad taking to the pool.
Footage shows Saka enjoying the action, dropping a beach ball on Phil Foden’s head before swimming away laughing.
Bellingham was also in high spirits and even showed that he can do more than just the players we see on the field, by singing ‘Water’ by South African pop star Tyla.
Captain and striker Kane was another star he spotted in the water, simply relaxing with his head on the edge of the pool.
Kyle Walker and John Stones combined two triathlon sports during their recovery training: they cycled on a stationary bike in the water.
Only the starting players were given the luxury of complete relaxation on Thursday. Players who did not play last night, or played very few minutes, were put to the test by Southgate’s staff.
Meanwhile, Watkins and Cole Palmer took their seats on the Lions Den bench after their heroics in Dortmund to discuss the remarkable victory over the Dutch. The episode was later broadcast on the English YouTube channel.
England captain Harry Kane looked calm less than a day after scoring his third goal of Euro 2024
Ollie Watkins (left) and Cole Palmer (right) got the chance to talk about the magical night in Dortmund on the English YouTube channel
But soon after Palmer got on his bike, many players went for a spin around their luxury base
However, the duo did not get the entire day off. Palmer was spotted on two wheels when several players went for a bike ride near their base camp in Blankenhain.
Tomorrow the Three Lions will resume their normal training as they face the Spanish national team in a tough match against the Spanish on Sunday.
They will be looking to take revenge for their defeat to Italy in the final of this competition in 2021.